Levana Mellow-D Pedal Review

One of the most useful tools in a seasoned-
player’s arsenal is a good, simple,
delay unit. These days, a lot of delay
pedals offer a smorgasbord of features,
with dazzling arrays of controls and knobs
to shape and sculpt the delayed tone, and
even loop it. You can almost forget how
many cool tones can be coaxed from a
conventional, 3-knob delay as the new
Mellow-D by Studio Blue’s Levana Audio
demonstrates handily.

More Than Meets the Eye
Anyone used to old, 3-knob analog-delay
units like the Boss DM-2 and Ibanez AD-9
can use the Mellow-D blindfolded. There
are familiar controls for Time, Feedback,
and Level (which acts as a volume control
for the wet signal). The circuit is digital,
but it’s designed to emulate the warmth of
older, tape delays. And the digital circuit
enables the Levana pedal to significantly
increase the available delay time, to a maximum
of 1000 ms.

Familiar as it looks on the surface,
the Levana has one very unique trick up
its powder-blue sleeve. There’s a 3-way
switch on the top of the unit that brings
in two degrees of leftover digital distortion
and applies it to the delayed signal.
In the top position, the repeats come
back with a higher frequency range. And
in the bottom position, they kick back
with a lower set of frequencies and a
slight drop in fidelity that can help you
radicalize your repeats.

Nothing Yellow about This Mellow
The pristine sounds of a Fender 60th
Anniversary Telecaster and a Fender ’65
Twin Reverb combo were a perfect canvas
for the Mellow-D to show off its warm,
granulated, vintage-styled tones. The short
delay-times are delightfully sputtery and
perfect for bathtub-delayed, single-note
country riffing. In this context, the pedal
is super-responsive to pick attack, and the
delay repeats distorted ever so slightly as
I started in with a harder, more-defined
pick attack.

Longer delay times are a treat as well,
and reveal how well the Mellow-D really
cops the tone of a well-worn, vintage tape
delay. The dirtiness and lower fidelity of the
repeats was much more noticeable when I
had the Time control set above 10 o’clock—
each repeat had a great, decaying quality
that, at times, made me wish I could sustain
each repeat. They sound that cool.

Some of the coolest tones within the
Mellow-D exist thanks to the 3-way switch
on the top of the unit. As I flicked the
switch to the up position, a really abrasive
white-noise rang from the Twin’s speakers.
After dropping the Feedback control to
just slightly a hair above the off position,
I was able to hear the effect’s extremely
eerie, digitally distorted repeats ringing in
the upper registers of the highs. Bringing
the Feedback control up made the effect
more intense, and when I brought it up to
around 9 o’clock, the signal bled into a glorious,
self-oscillating feedback that stopped
immediately when I started playing again—
perfect for soundscape work, à la Robert
Fripp and Brian Eno.

The Verdict
Levana managed to build a really great-sounding
tape delay emulator, but the real
treat is the pedal’s digital repeat distortion
switch. I’m hard-pressed to think of any
effect I’ve come across that sounds and
reacts quite like it, which is a definite plus
in terms of adding a new spin on an old
idea. And if you’re often left wondering
how to indulge your inner traditionalist and
experimentalist with the same pedal, the
Levana Mellow-D may be the key.

Buy if...
you need a great tape-delay simulator with extended delay-time and extra kooky-sounding uniqueness.Skip if...
you need more control over the delay tone, and digitally clean repeats.Rating...

A native of the Pacific Northwest, Jordan grew up traveling the country as the son of theater technical directors and speech instructors. His exposure to the performing arts early on helped foster his love for music and attention to detail, and upon receiving his first guitar at age 15, he became hooked. Jordan brings a considerable background of gear knowledge and tech experience to Premier Guitar, and has contributed an extensive amount of articles, artist interviews and Rig Rundown videos since late 2008. He lives in the Iowa City area, where he also works to bring music education initiatives to both local and regional communities.

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